The Death of Something Great
by Illusionna
Summary: When Ultra Magnus' friend dies, her husband finds her diary and doesn't like what he reads...


****

The Death of Something Great

Ultra Magnus slowly walked down the hallway, that led to the Council Hall. Small busts and paintings lined both walls, for the entire length of the passage. He stopped in front of the gold colored door. On the right wall was ever watching busts of Katherine Witts and Beth Calibri. He signed, and then opened the door.

He remembered, when the Council Station had been built, both Kate and Beth had been opposed to automatic doors. It reminded them of the supermarket, they had said. The Council Hall, which was usually filled with chairs, like a movie theater, was now completely empty. Except for the sigil of the Intergalactic Council of Planets and a human, his back turned, staring at it.

Ultra Magnus stood there a long time, not exactly knowing what to say. He had been looking for this man, but now his planned speech left his head. He could not help feeling pity for him. "Rick," he said at last.

The human did not turn around, he continued to look at the large sigil-plate. "I thought that you would never want to talk to me again," he said.

Ultra Magnus laughed, "Don't be silly…"

"Those were some pretty awful things I accused you of," Rick continued, as if Magnus had never said anything. "I am not sorry though, a bit guilty, but not regretful." There was an awkward silence, before Rick turned around suddenly and said, "I'm glad that she's not here to see this," he waved his hand vaguely. 

Ultra Magnus nodded his head, not knowing what else to do.

"I think it would have broken her heart," Rick went on, "to see her precious ICP a shambles. She loved it, more than she loved you."

"Now, Rick," Magnus blurted, "that's what I came to talk about. You have this strange idea-"

"No," Rick interrupted in a calm voice, "I know that she adored you. She loved you greatly Ultra Magnus. I can't say I'm not mad at you, I am, very angry. But that was her way, to love what she couldn't have."

"She loved you-"

"__less than she loved you," Rick interrupted again. "I'll never forgive you for that, Ultra Magnus. I can never forgive you." Rick began to walk toward the large door, his white hair bouncing as he took his steps.

"Ricky," Magnus pleaded, "I'm confused. I don't even understand what you're talking about."

Frederick Witts whirled around angrily, his eyes boring holes in the large Autobot. "Think about it…" he hissed, before twirling around again, and flouncing out of the room.

After a moment, Magnus followed him, but the passageway was empty. He turned back to the bust of Katherine Witts, and his mind wandered back, to before this crazy situation started.

It was a bright, sunny spring morning, with bees buzzing and the flowers in bloom. The smell of honeysuckle wafted over the fields, hitting Ultra Magnus's olfactory senses in blasts. He waited in front of the bridge that lead to Metroplex, Autobot City-the same place he waited one winter, fifty two years ago.

A shuttle bus sputtered down the road before him, he smiled in memory. It was air force blue, and not too steady on its wheels. It finally stopped and a young man came out. He was wearing a navy uniform, his hat was off to reveal his sandy brown hair. He put down his bag, then looked up and laughed.

"Hello, way up there!" he called.

Kneeling, Ultra Magnus returned his greeting. "Was it a good ride?" he asked.

The young man glanced at the now leaving shuttle bus. "I have to confess," he said, "I don't know how people could ride those things all the time."

Magnus began walking, the young navy officer following him. "Your mother, the first time she came here, traveled by bus the whole way from New Jersey."

The young officer rolled his eyes. "Mama's strange, anyone will attest to that. Speaking of Mom, where is she?"

Magnus turned the corner, leading the officer down a small street. "Both she and your father were supposed to be here an hour ago."

"Mama was never punctual."

"No," Magnus agreed with a laugh, "even when I first met her."

"What do you mean?" the young man asked.

"She was four hours late," Magnus opened the door to the building, and led the young officer down the winding corridors. They went into the building's main control room, and sitting on a chair, in the middle of it, was a woman.

Her hair was strawberry blonde, and fell to her shoulders in large curls. She was slender and energetic, swiveling from side to side. It could be told by her hands, that youth was no longer hers, but she was yet to be an old invalid. She swiveled form side to side a couple of times before catching sight of the duo. She turned around completely, her murky blue eyes lit up with pleasure. "Jem!" she exclaimed, as she ran toward the young navy officer.

Jem embraced her, and she kissed him. The wrinkles around her eyes and mouth showed more prominently as she smiled. Besides those small crevices, and a few wrinkles on her forehead from worry, her face was smooth. "Ultra Magnus said you hadn't arrived yet," Jem informed his mother.

Kate Witts looked at him, a fond love in her eyes. "I've been here for an hour," she muttered.

Jem smiled and kissed her again, "When is Dad coming?"

"Tomorrow," she answered. "Till then, your poor old ma will be a lonely old hag."

Jem's face contorted with annoyance, "You're not a hag, Mom."

"I'm not?" she asked innocently, winking at Ultra Magnus.

Jem walked away, toward the control panel, Magnus turned his full attention to the officer's mother. "Have you really been here an hour?"

She craned her head so far back, it looked as if it might roll off. Her green blue eyes had a shine to them that seemed to come from a fire behind them. In her youth, her skin and hair had been the same way, but she was now past her prime. "Yes," she answered, I've been here for sixty-five minutes going back and forth in that chair."

The two friend's conversation was interrupted by a loud beeping noise, coming from the monitor. Magnus went over to it and pressed a button, a human face appeared on the screen. His light brown hair was cropped close to his head, his stubble proving that he hadn't been shaved in a few days. The wrinkles on his face and neck, along with the streaks of gray in his hair, magnified the bags under his eyes. "Magnus, Kate," he said in greeting, with a nod.

"Hello, Stephen," Kate said with a smile. "What's the matter?"

"I think you an Ricky better get here today, because something has happened.

"What do you mean?" Magnus asked cautiously.

"Just come," Stephen replied, as the monitor went blank.

Kate glanced up at the Autobot and said, "I guess we're leaving early."

"And without Rick," Ultra Magnus added.

"Oh well," Kate said with a shrug of her shoulders. "It's his own fault for being late."

***

Galvatron stormed through the Council Hall, a string of obscenities streaming from his mouth as he tore the row of chairs from the floor and flung it at Cyclonus. The Decepticon second-in-command held his arm up to deflect the missile. Scourge backed away a few paces, anticipating the row of chairs' new course. It landed at his feet. He made a sideways glance at Soundwave, who had inched his way to the far end of the room. The Leader of the Decepticons turned his attention to Wind Rider, who was his expert in this type of thing.

"You call this a council hall?!" he screeched. "My hall is a thousand times grander than this." Suddenly, he calmed and stood up straight, beckoning Wind Rider to come to him. She hesitantly floated to him, never breaking the dead silence that the gathering of Decepticons had formed. The Prime Delegate of Charr did not stop until she was nose to nose with her leader. He looked into her optic sensors and whispered, "Do you call this a 'grand hall'?"

It took her a moment before she answered, "Only if my lords says that it is grand."

A smile cracked on Galvatron's lips at the woman's reply. Her clear voice had carried, and her answer echoed through the hall. "I," Galvatron said proudly, "say that it is NOT grand."

He looked at Wind Rider's gray, calm face. Without moving, or showing any emotion, she answered, "Then it is not a grand hall sire."

Galvatron gasped, and took a horrified step backwards. "What?!" he exclaimed, looking as if he had seen a ghost. "You say this great hall is not grand? I can feel the greatness in this hall, and the great people that have been and loved this hall…"

Wind Rider glanced at Cyclonus, who had come behind his leader towering a head above him. Neither were in the mood for their "king's" games.

***

Stephen met Ultra Magnus and Katy Witts outside the Council Hall. The Passage of Councilmen was echoing with the strange speech of the delegates inside.

Katy kissed her friend, as he greeted her and the Autobot. Jem came down the hall, asking who was making the tirade in the next room.

"Galvatron," Stephen muttered with a roll of his eyes. 

"I have no idea how they put with it."

"I have never met him," Kate said optimistically. "Ultra Magnus, would you do the honors?"

Drawing the gun, he gently opened the door. "I'll warn you, he's nothing to get excited about."

The Leader of the Decepticons was waving his arms and motioning to different aspects of the room. He had a sarcastically praising look on his face. Four rows of chairs had been torn up, two were laying on other rows, one was strewed on the pathwalk and one was embedded in the wall. "This hall holds great speeches and great gatherings," Galvatron was saying. "Only a grand person could it such a feeling!"

"Thank you," came a high voice from behind him.

Galvatron whipped around, only to come face to face with Ultra Magnus. Knowing the voice did not come from him, he looked down, to see Kate and Stephen. "I don't believe we have met," Kate said, "I'm Kate Witts."

"The founder of ICP," Galvatron added.

Kate only smiled, "One of them," she corrected.

"Katherine Edmond-Witts, the writer of the Intergalactic Council of Planets' constitution, and the allower of the Decepticons to join this 'wonderful' organization.

Kate gave him a rueful smile, "You know your history."

"It is an interest of mine," was his reply.

"Well sire," Kate said with a sigh, "what brings such a fine man here?"

Now it was Galvatron's turn to smile. "My reason," he said, bending down on one knee, "is that you seemed to have brainwashed on of my strategists, fleshling."

"Brainwashed?"

Stephen cut in, "-he said before he just wanted to see the place, then he told Wind Rider it was to see what type of conspiracies were 'whispered' here!"

Galvatron stood up angrily and pointed his cannon at the professor. "I have many reasons for coming here, none of which I must explain to you, fleshling!"

"I wouldn't do that ," Ultra Magnus said, his gun pointing at Galvatron's nose. The Leader of the Decepticons smiled and lowered his weapon. Ultra Magnus tarried for a moment, then lowered his gun to his side. No sooner had done that, then a hand came from behind him and clipped him on the head. The large Autobot fell forward, Kate, Stephen, and Jem scrambled to get out of his way. He fell with a crash, Scourge standing behind him.

Galvatron had taken a few steps back, and was now next to Wind Rider. She glanced at Soundwave, who stood emotionless behind her. Because of his position, Galvatron as the first to see Stephen produce a gun and shoot at the Leader of the Sweeps. Kate let out a surprised scream as the bullet shattered one of Scourge's optic sensors.

Ultra Magnus attempted to get up, now that Scourge had tumbled backwards. Soundwave fired his laser at him, but it hit the floor and deflected to the group of humans who huddled together in an attempt to remain unharmed.

Wind Rider saw the shot coming and anticipated where it would hit. She jumped in front of the humans, holding her arm out, her hand becoming a wall in which the three could shield themselves. The beam hit her wrist, blowing her hand unit off. She let out a cry of pain as she hit the floor, her hand ramming into Stephen and knocking him over.

Ultra Magnus turned, punching Scourge in the face just as Cyclonus let his fist fly. The Autobot fell again, as Soundwave announced, in his mechanical monotone, "Rumble, eject!"

Kate and Jem struggled to get Wind Rider's hand off of Stephen. So worried was the navy officer that he would get either shot or trampled, he did not notice Rumble come behind his mother, grab her by the hair and put her in a neck hold.

"Stop," the little Decepticon cried. His voice carried in the large, empty chamber, and the fighting ceased. Rumble directed his attention to Ultra Magnus, putting his pistol to Kate's temple. "Move and she's dead."

"You're bluffing," Jem said, taking a step toward him. 

Just as the young man put his foot down, Rumble pulled the trigger on his laser pistol. The beam of concentrated light came out of the other temple on Kate's head. Her eyes went wide as a small trickle of blood began to fall down her face, like a stream of crimson tears. Rumble let her go, pushing her gently forward. In the dead silence of the Council Hall, she took two steps forward, then fell to the floor on her face.

Robert and Beth came rushing down the hospital hall, not an uncommon occurrence. Beth's tight curls bounced in time with her chest as she ran, her husband at her heels. It seemed to Beth that the hallway was longer today, and there were more of them.

The two stopped at the elevator. Beth put her hand through her graying mass of black ringlets, then impatiently turned from the door, seeking the stairs. Robert waited for a moment longer before following his wife.

They huffed and puffed their way up the stairs, until they reached the third floor intensive care. Beth Calibri rammed the door open in haste, knocking someone to the ground.

She whipped around, anxiety evident in her bright blue eyes. "Excuse me," she muttered, as Robert bent down to help the man up. When the floating fluff of white hair finally looked up and said, "It's nothing," the Calibris were looking into the eyes of Ricky Witts. It was obvious he had been crying.

"Oh, Ricky!" Beth exclaimed, jumping up and giving him a hug. He held her very tightly for a long time, letting her go only when Robert put his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"What happened?" Robert asked.

Rick shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know," he replied, "I just stepped out of the elevator." The two men stood in silence for a while, staring at each other. Rick's gaze as that of a lost and forlorn waif. All Robert could do was look at him with sympathy.

"Come on," Beth urged, still impatient to get moving, "let's go see how she is."

They walked slowly now, each caught in their own thoughts. Ricky periodically tugged at his mustache, that, in combination with his powder puff white hair, gave him a bit of an Albert Einstein appearance. Beth walked her normal bounce, her gait edged with anxiousness. Her crows feet were a bit more visible because of her worry. Her black-gray hair fell to her shoulder blades, bouncing as she went. Robert lagged behind his friend and his wife. His gray, but still long hair, flowed behind him in a ponytail as he went down the corridors. As he walked, the pit in his stomach becoming increasingly deeper.

They finally came to the waiting room, after what seemed like an eternity. Stephen Bradford and Jeremy-Phillip Witts sat on the couch. Jem's head was in his hands, sobs wracking at his young, muscular body. Stephen sat staring into space, unchecked tears flowing into the wrinkles around his mouth. The trio approached them., tears already streaming down Robert's face.

"What happened?" Rick demanded. His son looked up, his nose and eyes were red and swollen. His mouth was in a drooling frown. Those murky-blue eyes, that were the mirror of his mother's, were filled with despair. Before he could answer, Beth howled in realization and collapsed into Jem's lap, sobs beginning to heave at her little, petite frame. Ricky glanced at Rob, whose bottom lip was beginning to quiver from keeping his weeping silent. Rick was about to say something when a voice behind him said, "Dr. Witts, I'm glad you're here."

The old man whipped around to be face to face with a young doctor holding a clipboard. "I'll need you to sign a few papers…" he was saying.

"What has happened to my wife ?" Rick shouted in a panic.

The doctor looked up from his clipboard and cocked his head to the side. "Oh," he said nonchalantly, "they didn't tell you that she's dead?"

Ricky's mouth dropped open as he stared at the young man in disbelief. "Wha-wha-wha-" was all that would come out of his mouth until his knees collapsed and he fell to the floor. Robert tried to catch him, but wasn't strong enough to hold his friend up.

"Dr. Witts, Dr. Witts," the young doctor said, bending down, "Is something the matter?"

Robert Calibri looked up from Rick's ashen white face and glared at the young man. "Get away," he hissed with the force of a freight train. The young man looked back at him ignorantly and took Rick by the shoulders, helping him to a chair.

"She suffered no pain, Dr. Witts," the young doctor explained. "She died as soon as the laser went through her head." Rick's face was beginning to turn a greenish color, but the doctor seemed to take no notice. "Her nose broke when she hit the floor, so both her eye s are black. You might want a closed casket-"

"SHUT UP!!!!" Beth wailed, getting up from her spot on the floor. Her face was red and blotchy, and her hair was wet from Jem crying into it. "WHAT is the matter with YOU!! GET AWAY!!! GO **AWAY!!! **

This time the doctor got the hint. He stood up, looking a touch annoyed and walked away. "I'll have you sign these later, Dr. Witts ," he called over his shoulder, "when you're feeling better."

Ricky slowly turned his head in the direction the doctor had taken and then to Robert, who still stood over him. His face was a glue-green color and a look of total confusion was on it. Because he had nothing to say-nothing he **could **say-Rob put his hand on his old friend's shoulder and raised him from the chair. "Are you able to walk?" he asked, "Did you hurt your knees when you fell?" Rick looked up at him vacantly and shook his head. "Let's go," Rob indicated with a motion of his head.

Rob led Rick down the corridor to the elevator. Jem put his arms around Beth, who was still sobbing, burying her face in his chest. When Stephen didn't stand up, Jem gave him a gentle nudge, being sure not to touch the two broken ribs he suffered from Wind Rider's hand falling on him. The old Professor came out of his trance and stood up, following the others into the elevator.

As they stepped out of the lift, they met up with Kathryn Bradford and Trigger, waiting to go up. "Uncle Stephen!" she exclaimed, running to her uncle's arms. He let out a groan as came to him, hurting his rib cage. "I'm sorry," she said with a smile. The others ignored her almost completely, walking past her and her husband out of the elevator down the corridor to the front doors of the hospital. Kit looked after them, an offended look on her face, then turned to her uncle. "What happened?" she asked. Stephen's last barricade fell; he dropped to the floor and began to bawl out his grief. Kitty stood over him for moment in confusion, before the realization hit her. "Oh, no!" she moaned, shaking her head in disbelief. Stephen looked up at her and nodded, grasped her waist and cried into her stomach. Kitty could do nothing but stand there, an uncertain look her visage, for the tears would not come.

The others came to the front doors of the hospital, large and made of glass. They opened automatically, giving them leave. It was not until they met Ultra Magnus and Optimus Prime in the parking lot that Frederick Witts began to cry.

***

"Please, get settled!" the preacher called through the Council Hall to the denizens gathered there. As the buzz of the thousands of voices died down, the priest moved the microphone (which gave it's customary screech) to suit his height. "Please," he asked again. The harsh sound the microphone had made a quickly quieted room. "I would like to say," the human priest began, "how honored we are at the turn out here today." The Council Hall buzzed again. Every seat was full, and the doorway blocked by the many rows of people standing up. One would not have believed that so many people were here. The Hall was jam packed, a sight that Kat Witts had never seen. "We are here today," the preacher said, causing the hum of the people to die, "to wish Doctor Katherine Witts a sweet farewell." There was another uproar of buzzing before the minister continued. "She was a great woman, and well liked by the look of the stadium…"

_This is not a stadium_**, **Ultra Magnus brooded. He had been opposed to the entire idea of the funeral being held here. But Ricky had been in no position to oppose it, so Kitty Bradford had gone about making the arrangements for the funeral service as if it had been a birthday celebration. _This is ridiculous_, Magnus thought, _three quarters of_ _these people never even met Kate. The priest never even met her! _"Why do they have a Catholic priest?" Beth Calibri had asked when they had first arrived, "she wasn't Catholic" None of this made much sense to Ultra Magnus. 

After the hospital, Ultra Magnus had not known if he could face Kate's husband. Ricky had gone to pieces when he found out about his wife's death. He refused to talk or eat or sleep. All he did was stare into space_. That is why it's bad to rely on a mate like_ _human's do,_ Magnus reflected. _When they're gone, you have nothing left_. He couldn't shake the guilt, though. All the "I could'ves" and "I should'ves" began to crowd him _I shouldn't have let her come, I shouldn't have let her in, I could have blocked the shot…_

****

He tried not to dwell on it. Rationally, he could tell himself, it was in no way his fault, but a little voice in the back of his mind kept telling him it was. Ricky had said that it wasn't Magnus' fault, that he didn't blame him, there was nothing he could have done. There had been bitterness in his voice, though, a great deal of bitterness. Ultra Magnus looked over to where the Witts-clan were seated. _Poor Ricky_, he lamented, _poor Rick_.

All of Kate's immediate family was there. Her three sons, Jeremy-Phillip, Alexander, and Nathaniel, and her daughter Gabrielle. Jem's wife and two children were sitting next to Sandy and his family. Nat sat with his pregnant sister, and her husband. Ella was due in a month, but that was a grandchild her mother would never see. A great wave a pity swelled inside of Ultra Magnus. _What a shame,_ he could not help but think, _what a shame_. 

The preacher finally came to the end of his eulogy, finishing with something about "This is not an end, but the beginning of a great journey, into the realm of God. So be not sad, but rejoice that she will finally be at peace." He left the podium and stopped in front of Kate's casket. It was closed, both her eyes were black from her broken nose, and her head had become deformed from the great loss of blood. The priest finished his silent prayer, then moved to the side, allowing the Witts' to pay their respects.

As Ultra Magnus watched, he never realized what a large family Kate had. Her husband was the first to say his good-byes. Then Jem and his family, Sandy's wife and three children went up to the casket with him. They made way for Nat, who was unmarried and childless, who was followed by Ella and her husband. Next came Kate's twin brother Samuel, and his wife, and children, and their spouses and children. The same procedure went for her younger brother Mitchell, then came the Calibri's.

After the Calibri grandchildren paid their respects, it was Magnus' turn. Stepping up to where the coffin lay, he stared down at the shiny, polished oak, showing him his reflection. With the casket closed, he couldn't see her, he hadn't seen her since they landed on Earth and put her in the ambulance. He hadn't known she was dead. He didn't even think to see if she was still alive or breathing. He had just kept telling himself that she would be ok. He had never dreamed she wouldn't be…

_Everyone has to die sometime_, he tried to console himself, moving so that the person behind him could say his good-byes. He turned to the back of the auditorium, the hall seemed very empty now. About half the audience made their way to the door; a dead woman was not enough reason for them to postpone business, to stay a while from their families and friends. This funeral had taken to much time already. _How can they? _Ultra Magnus' mind screamed_. How can they just walk away, as if this all just a business meeting? A woman died, a great and loving woman. If it wasn't for her, they would not be where they are right now! There would be not ICP, and they would not be the great diplomats of their nations! If it wasn't for her, none of them would be here. If I wasn't_ _here, she might be-_the memory hit him like a freight train.

***

Ultra Magnus stood outside, looking to the horizon for the air-force blue shuttle bus that would bring him his guest. It was cold this evening, colder than usual for January fourth. It had just snowed the night before, and the flurries that formed on the side of the road were around five feet high. 

The sun was going down, behind the clouds. The thick cloud cover spread across the sky like a sheet of cotton, melding with the snow in the distance. The surroundings were abnormally white, giving one an even colder impression. 

* * *

Ultra Magnus had been waiting for about two hours when finally he saw the little blue speck emerge from the white of the snow. He gauged the distance and speed, figuring it would be another two hours before it reached him. There was no accounting for it, all he could do was wait.

It wasn't her fault she was late, anyway. She seemed, from what he could find out about her, to be a very responsible young lady. She was talented, at least-having been honored with writing merit in the field of robotics and science fiction was no small feat. He had read the winning entry, and he had liked it very much. It was amazingly life-like considering the woman was only nineteen years old. That seemed so young, but Spike had assured him it wasn't so young. She was a junior in college, which had to account for something.

He turned to the city behind him, that lay across the bridge. It was lit up like a Christmas tree, now that the Sun had taken away it's light. It was actually quite majestic to look at, and a wave pride washed over him at thinking this was the first thing his guest would see.

He was glad now, that he offered a tour of Metroplex as a reward for the young lady's merit. He had visions of her in his head-an intelligent, attentive young woman who would be asking questions about all sorts of things. She would be interested in all he had to say about the place. That was the vision he had in his head of what she would be like.

The bus finally arrived and emptied of all the people. As the crowd walked by him, he saw no one who would meet the young lady's description. He glanced back at the bus, seeing a young woman struggling with her luggage, attempting to drag it down the stairs of the shuttle bus.

She wore a coat and gloves, with a scarf around her neck. Underneath her hat, he could see her strawberry blonde hair, covering her ears and tucked in the back of her coat. She was slender, with a small bust and thin hips. Her small stature caused her trouble with her luggage. Yes, she was just like he envisioned her. He was indeed gland that he had invited her here.

****

He walked over to her as she turned to face him. "Miss Edmund?" he asked. She nodded her head and looked up at him. He regarded her for a moment. Her nose was red from the cold, as were her cheeks. Her blue eyes shone with inner light that please him for some reason. He felt a click, like he had known her for eons. He smiled his pleasure and greeting. "Welcome to Autobot City," he said, motioning to the city behind him. "This is the Metroplex." When she looked past him to the city, he felt another surge of pride. He motioned her to follow him, and started walking toward the city. He did not have to look back, he knew she would follow him anywhere-or was it the other way around? He wasn't sure which, and he didn't know why. He only knew it was so. "My name," he said, as they crossed the bridge to the city, "is Ultra Magnus."

***

That had been the beginning of their friendship. The memory faded like the Sun did on that day-what was it?-fifty two years ago, bringing Ultra Magnus back to the Council Hall. It had emptied tremendously, with people getting their turn to come up to the casket, and others at the end of the line who got tired of waiting, and just left. Ricky thanked a patron who stepped down from the podium and gave him a "best wishes". He joined a group of people who sat to the front left of the casket, those who were polite and caring enough to stay for the rest of the funeral.

And so that scenario as repeated and repeated, until the end of the line was finally in sight. _Good_, Ultra Magnus thought to himself, _this thing is almost over._ _There's the_ _end of the-_he stopped in mid-thought at the person he saw at the end of he procession. _HOW DARE YOU!!_ he screeched in thought, not daring to break the silence of the Council Hall. _Because of you, she's dead! If you hadn't petitioned, if you hadn't asked to join, none of this would have happened. Wind Rider, how dare you!? _The Prime Delegate of the Decepticons was at the end of the long line of people, floating a touch above the floor, her head held high, her cape dangling at her calves, a look of –could it be regret?-on her face. Ultra Magnus wanted to over and kill her, squeeze the life out of her optic sensors, just as he had seen the life go out of Kate's. _You brought Galvatron, and Galvatron brought Soundwave, Soundwave brought Rumble and Rumble killed Kate. She never wanted you here in the first place._ Memory flooded back to him like a tidal wave, the past would not leave him alone.

** *

"No," Kate stated angrily, fire burning in her eyes. Her normally large pupils had shrunk to specks in rage, her full lips pulled in a thin, taut line. "You can tell them they can enter that Council Hall when a snowball has a chance in hell!" 

"Kate," Stephen Bradford petitioned, his dark brown curls bouncing with enthusiasm, "aren't you being a little unreasonable?"

Kate shook her long red-gold waves, flying about her face, giving her an appearance younger than her thirty-seven years. "I'm not being unreasonable! Why, all of a sudden, do they want a delegation? For three years they've had absolutely no interest, and now, this –what ever his name is-"

"Her name is Wind Rider,' said Rick, who was sitting at the conference table, in am exasperated voice.

"This Wind Rider," Kate continued, "now after three years, wants to form a Delegation of Decepticons? I don't think so, Stephen!" 

Ultra Magnus had listened patiently to Kate's tirade for about the last half an hour. Everyone had already agreed to allow the Decepticons their delegation, save Kate. Beth and Robert Calibri sat with him and Ricky, watching Stephen debate with her. The rest of the Earthen Delegation had agreed not to be present when this was presented to Kate, in hope that those she was closest to would have a better chance of convincing her. So far, it had not worked.

"I refuse!" she stormed, "no, it will-not-happen! I will not have them ruining that organization!"

"Kate," Beth snapped angrily, her patience having worn out, "Stop being stupid!" 

Kate whirled around, a look of disbelief on her face. "Perhaps," she hissed cruelly, "you have forgotten what they did to your son. Did you forget it's because of them that he was in therapy for three years, relearning how to walk?!"

Beth was awkwardly silenced, but it was clear she still thought Kate was wrong. Everyone's attention was diverted for a moment, as the door to the conference room opened, revealing Spike Witwicky and Richard Elmsly, one of the foundling members of the ICP. "Everything o.k. in here?" he asked, walking up to Stephen.

"Everything is fine, Richard," Kate replied, trying hard to keep her rage under control.

"Magnus," Spike said, still at the doorway, "you're wanted in the control room three."

Ultra Magnus raised a finger slowly, his attention still fixed on Kate. "I'll be there in a minute." He had been in the conference room for an hour, half of that was listening to Kate's rantings. He had not said anything thus far, for he truly believed her mind would not be changed. Not that it bothered him terribly if there wasn't a Decepticon delegation. He did not like to see her upset, though, and she hadn't been this upset in a long time. He didn't quite understand why she so vehemently objected to it, but the last choice was hers, and it seemed her choice was to be no.

"Why?" Richard suddenly asked, bringing Ultra Magnus out of his thoughts. 

"Why what?" Katy asked him, her anger replaced a little bit with bewilderment.

"Why won't you let the Decepticons have their delegation?"

"Because, they're evil!" she asserted, throwing her head back in frustration.

"The entire race is evil?" Stephen demanded, following Richard's lead.

Kate stood speechless for a moment, a lost look on her face. "Their leader is evil," she replied softly.

"Does that make the whole race evil?" Stephen asked calmly.

There was a tension and silence about the room, like the calm before the storm. "Their leader is evil, which probably means this Wind Rider person is evil-why would Galvatron agree to a delegation if she wasn't evil?"

"That doesn't mean she's evil," Robert explained. Kate turned awkwardly toward him, blinking hard to prevent the tears from coming down. "It means she wants to do something. She's probably a good speaker, she's a very eloquent writer at least. She probably talked Galvatron into it."

"But they're the enemy," she protested weakly.

Robert and Richard laughed good-heartedly, as a parent does with a child. Kate turned away from Rob, back to Stephen in rejection.

"Would you rather have an honest enemy or a false friend?" Stephen asked her.

"What does that have to do with anything?" she retorted caustically.

"Just-which one would you rather have?" he pressed.

She thought for a moment, then answered, "An honest enemy, but"

"That's what Wind Rider is," Stephen interrupted her before she could protest. "She's not trying to be anybody's friend. She went out of her way and wrote us this letter asking for a delegation. She is the enemy, yes, but she's honest. That's better than an Autobot who's pretending to be honest."

"No" she protested in annoyance, tears running down her face, turning her murky-blue eyes a brilliant turquoise.

"He's right, Kate," Robert said gently.

Just then, she threw her hands up in defeat, and headed toward the door that Spike had left open when he left. "Do what ever the hell you want, I don't care!" she said—somewhere in-between shout and a sob—slamming the door to the conference room behind her as she stormed out.

** *

As the memory, like a movie screen going on in his head, his optics the camera, ended, Wind Rider was upon the stage, staring down at the closed casket. Ultra Magnus didn't know how long she had been there, he wasn't paying attention. But, she was there now, close enough so that all he had to do was reach out his hand and he could crush her life from her delicate looking frame.

She stared down at the casket, a strange look on her light gray face, Ultra Magnus could not place the emotion. She was standing-Ultra Magnus started in surprise at seeing her feet on the ground standing erect, her arms clasped in front of her, her chin almost touching her chestplate. Her cape stood as still as she, hanging at her claves, falling in deep folds from her shoulders. She looked very much like a marble statue, standing there without moving, her gray-violet body standing against the black of space that shone in through the window. Then, she moved, and traced the crack of the opening of the casket. The Council Hall was silent, so silent that even though her deep voice was quiet, her comment carried throughout the entire room. "I" she paused, as if she were reconsidering, but continued after a moment. "I mourn your loss."

Ricky stood up to the podium, looking like a gnat standing next to the large Decepticon. His eyes followed her finger along the coffin's middle. He took a deep breath, and said, "She was fond of you, if she could have been fond of a Decepticon."

To Ultra Magnus' surprise, Wind Rider laughed. A high tinkling laugh, but it had an understanding to it. "Yes," she replied with a smile on her face, "I was fond of her too." Then added, as an afterthought, "If I could be fond of a fleshling."

Again the two of them were silent, both looking down somberly at the coffin. It was not until Wind Rider's finger left the casket lid, that Ricky spoke, "I do not blame you."

Wind Rider, for the first time, wrenched her optic sensors from the coffin and looked down at Frederick Witts. "Thank you," she whispered.

It was then that the casket was taken from the stage. With Jem and Nat on the front two corners, Sandy and Kate's twin, Sam at the back two, the group of mourners who were kind enough to stay left the Council Hall. The Corridor of Councilmen, lined with the busts of those great people who had founded the organization, seemed not so long as the funeral procession carried the body to Shuttle Pod Bay I. They reached it, and a capsule, shaped like a torpedo sat on the floor, one end of it open. As the four men pushed the casket inside of it, the preacher began his last speech.

"We, those who loved this great woman the most," he began, "are here to say our last good-byes." As Ultra Magnus watched the torpedo that held the body of Katherine Louise Lybeth Edmound-Witts get shot out into space his head reeled. The preacher said, "So as God gave her to us, so we send her back to Him." If he had had a heart, as he watched the capsule drift off into space, eventually to collide with the Sun, it would have broken. They all stood there a long time, looking out into the blackness that seemed more black than usual. Slowly, people began to filter out, to the Shuttle Pod Bays where their shuttle pods were being held. Ricky looked out a little longer, before he too followed everyone out, leaving Ultra Magnus alone. The Autobot stared out the window, and watched. Why did it hurt so much? She would have died eventually, the woman was in her seventies. He didn't know why it hurt so damn much, but it did. As if it might have helped the claw that dug into his chest, he turned and hung his head. 

***

Ultra Magnus had never liked lawyers. They lied too much. But humans were peculiar about the way their possessions were to be doled out, so he supposed a lawyer was a necessity. 

The room they were in had been modified, to that Ultra Magnus, Optimus Prime, and Springer could fit into it. The long table that had been placed in the middle of the room was now filled with people. The lawyer sat at the head of it, along the sides were all of Kate's extended family, the Calibri's and their children and grandchildren, the Bradfords and Trigger, and Richard Elmsly's widow, Tina. Ricky sat at the foot of the table, opposite the lawyer and the three Autobots wee in the corners of the room, watching over them like sentinels.

Guilt swept over Ultra Magnus as the lawyer read, "The Last Will and Testament of Katherine Louise Lybeth Edmound-Witts…" The Last Will and Testament, that sounded so final. Well, it is final, he reminded himself. He couldn't quite believe it. Death was something he just could not comprehend, true and honest death. In fact, he thought it was a waste, a horribly inefficient way of doing things. In only seventy years, a human must grow up, find a mate, make a career, have children, raise the children, and then, after all that, one cannot even see the fruits of their labor—because you die. What a waste!

Not that humans understood death any better than he did. What happened to you after you 'died'? Ultra Magnus had always assumed that one just ceased to exist. Beth had vehemently attempted to correct him from that train of thought…

***

Beth sat looking at the photograph, her hand beginning to ache from holding it so tight. "What if he dies?" she whispered. "What if he dies?"

"He won't Beth," Kate reassured her. "You're too young and he's too young to die."

Beth looked up at her, her bright blue eyes rimmed with brine. "I would rather he was paralyzed for the rest of his life than for him to be dead," she said, her voice still a whisper. "I know that's selfish, but I don't want him to die."

"He isn't going to die, Beth," Kate said each word with equal emphasis. "His mother loves him too much for him to die."

"But what if he does?"

"Then he'll be in a better place, a place where he can't hurt anymore."

Until this point, Ultra Magnus had not said a word, he just looked on as Kate and Beth sat on the porch swing in front of the Calibri's house. "Not to exist," he put in, "is better than existing in pain."

Beth eyes shot up and glared at the Autobot. "What do you mean, 'cease to exist'?"

Ultra Magnus hesitated for a moment, not knowing what he had done wrong, "You said dying, when you die, you no longer exist."

Beth's eyes seemed to have a reddish tinge to them as she said, "No! You don't 'cease to exist'! How can you say that? How can you say that when my son is in the hospital with a broken back?! You don't just become dissipated energy or something, you big"

"Beth," Kate intervened, her voice calm, but sharp. "He didn't mean anything by it, you know that."

Beth slowly moved her gaze from Ultra Magnus to Kate.

"I think you two should go now," she said slowly.

"Are you sure?" Kate asked. When Beth nodded, she said, "Take a nap or something, sweetheart. OK?" Beth nodded again as Kate left the porch swing and headed toward the driveway. "Call me if you need anything," she said.

Beth smiled half-heartedly as Ultra Magnus transformed. "I will."

Kate climbed inside the car-carrier calling, "He'll be all right, Beth, don't worry!" as they drove away. As soon as they were down the small suburban road, Kate demanded, "Why did you have to say something like that?"

****

"Say what?" Ultra Magnus asked.

"Saying your son is going to cease to exist is not something you say to a grieving mother!" Kate scolded.

"You were talking about dying, I was trying to help."

"You think that when Sparkplug died, he turned into nothingness?" she asked in anger.

Ultra Magnus did not answer her question, "I was trying to help," he repeated.

Kate sighed, "I know," she said. "But death—death's a personal thing. What you believe happens to you after you die is very personal and sacred."

"It sounds like religion," Ultra Magnus commented.

Katy laughed, "That's one of the reasons that there is religion. To explain what happens to you when you die. It's only people like you, with no religion, who think life ends when your physical body dies."

There was a moment of silence, as Ultra Magnus contemplated what she had said. He had never thought about death being related to religion. "What do you believe?" he asked.

Kate was silent for a moment, before saying, "The same as Beth bel.."

***

Ultra Magnus was abruptly brought out of his daydream by Frederick Witts' voice resonating through the room. "WHAT?" All eyes were on Ultra Magnus, who looked absently form person to person. "Repeat that," Ricky requested in disbelief.

The lawyer cleared his throat, and rattled the paper in front of him. "To my dear and enduring friend Ultra Magnus," he began, quoting from the will, "I leave my wedding and engagement ring. Thank you for never failing to compliment on them and everything else."

Rick took a deep breath and said, "She's leaving her wedding ring—the ring I bought her—to a robot?"

"That's what it says here, Dr. Witts," the attorney replied.

"She's giving her—I don't believe this!" Rick turned to Ultra Magnus, with mad confusion on his face. "I was her husband, and she left her wedding ring to you!"

"I swear, Ricky," Ultra Magnus put his hands in the air, in a gesture of submission, "I had no idea."

"I bet you had no idea!" Rick stormed, "Just like you had no idea Galvatron was in the Council Hall, just like you had no idea that my Kate would get shot—just like you had no ideas what to do, so you stood there and watched my wife die!"

"Ricky," Ultra Magnus pleaded, "it wasn't like that, I swear.."

Rick stood up and flounced to the door. "I can't believe I ever trusted you," he spat, striding out the door leaving the room in an awkward silence.

PART 2

The Council Hall sat ready in a quietude that Magnus had never thought was possible of the collection of beings. Each delegation sat at their appointed section, and the Prime Delegate of each delegation present sat at the juror's stand. Magnus looked out at the people from the row of seats behind the podium, scanning the crowd. It should be fuller, he thought to himself, this is a trial, more seats should be filled.

Of the entire Council Hall, which was five thousand seats, only a small section was filled. The entire Earth delegation had shown up, after all, this primarily concerned them. All of the Autobot delegation had come out of courtesy for their friends. The other races were ones that were either fond of humans or hateful of Decepticons. Wind Rider sat at the podium, she was the only Decepticon delegate who had come. She had sat at the podium for four and a half hours, watching a line of people to bear witness to her offence. She did not have the benefit of and attorney, the crime she had committed was too great to be given such a luxury. Ultra Magnus had to admit, she was brave for coming, especially alone. She had not contested to anything anyone had said, she sat patiently with a look in her face that could not betray her emotions. She looked calm and collected, as if nothing was affecting her. Ultra Magnus knew her better, though. At that point in time, she was dying of humiliation. The last witness had just left the stand. Her time of judgement had come.

The judge turned slowly to the Decepticon Prime Delegate. "Do you have any witnesses, Madame Delegate?" 

"No," Wind Rider replied in an emotionless monotone.

"Do you have anything to say in your defense, Madame Delegate?" the judge asked her.

"No", she said again.

"Do you understand, Wind Rider," the judge told her softly, "what the penalty of murder of a delegate is?"

"Yes," she answered, her face forward to the crowd.

"Do you understand that if you do not present a defense that the penalty is assured?"

"Yes," she said.

The judge sighed, "All right then," he said, "Does anyone have any last words before the jurors make their decision?"

A small voice in the very back of the room piped up, "I do!"

Each of the jurors and the crowd turned to face the back. In one of the last seats sat Beth Calibri, clutching a piece of paper in her hands. She made her way up to the front of the hall and stood in facing the podium. "Your honor," she said, "I have something of great importance."

"What is it?" asked the judge.

"A letter," Beth answered, "written by Katherine Witts.

"Does this letter have any relevance to this case, Dr. Calibri?" the judge asked lewdly.

"Yes, it does," Beth replied. "Everyone here knows, I'm sure, that Kate originally did not want the Decepticons to join the ICP." There was a short buzzing as the crowd agreed. "Well, this is a letter Kate wrote me, after her first grandson was born. She asks how the ICP is doing, and then has this to say: 'I know that I was upset and brash about the ICP in my younger days, Beth, but I thought about those days the other day, and there are many things I did wrong. There are many things that I thought wrong, and I never apologized for them. The Decepticons, when Wind Rider wanted to join, I was less than reasonable, wasn't I? I should apologize to her, but my pride gets the better of me. She has done a lot of good in the ICP, hasn't she, Beth? More good than I can ever dream of doing. And she has so much longer to live, too. I get jealous, Beth, and confused. I don't understand why she is a Decepticon, doing the things she does…' She ends that section of the letter there," Beth explained. "Kate thought very well of Wind Rider. And everyone here knows that, even without this letter, that Wind Rider is not to blame for what happened."

"It was out of her hands. She tried to help in the best way she could. Take into account that she was injured when the incident happened, she had helped protect them before then."

"She hasn't contested to any of the charges brought against her," the judge said.

"What can she say to change anyone's mind?" Beth asked, half annoyed. "As far as I am concerned, this trial shouldn't even be taking place. Wind Rider did nothing wrong, and shouldn't die because she happens to be the Prime Delegate of the Decepticons, and a Decepticon killed Kate.

"Is that all you have to say, Dr. Calibri?" asked the judge.

"No," Beth told him defiantly. "Wind Rider asked to become a part of this organization. She came to us. Despite the fact she knew that she would have the entire organization against her, she wanted to come to us anyway. She has done a lot of good, you must take that into account when you decide the verdict."

"It will be, Dr. Calibri," the judge said. He then turned to the jury, "Weigh everything that you have heard today," he told them, "Both sides of the case have their points, weigh them, and weigh them carefully. Another life is now in your hands." With that the jurors left the Council Hall and headed toward the juror's chamber.

It took a while for everyone to settle down, but after a while everyone did. Each delegate sat around the table, no one looking at any of the other. There was an awkward silence, as everyone waited for someone else to say something. Finally, someone asked, "Well?"

"Beth is right, she doesn't deserve to die," Frederick Witts said slowly, but loud and clear. "There is someone at fault, but she isn't the one. We should let her go."

"But she has to be punished," someone confirmed.

"After all, she let Galvatron into the Council Hall."

There was another short silence before a delegate said, "I propose that we release the Decepticon delegation from the Intergalactic Council of Planets. This way, Wind Rider is not killed, she did not commit murder. But because of her actions, a murder was committed, so her punishment, I think, is fitting for the crime."

"Do you think that's too severe?" Ultra Magnus asked, turning to Rick Witts.

Rick didn't even turn to him and said, "I have nothing to say to you, concerning Wind Rider otherwise."

There was a long moment of awkward silence, Ultra Magnus sat silent, having no idea what to do. Finally, in an effort to save himself, and the human delegation, from argument, he pretended Rick had not answered him. "Does anyone disagree?" he asked of the proposed sentence. When no one answered, he stood up. "It is decided then."

The jurors followed Ultra Magnus out of the juror's hall and back to the row of chairs behind the podium. Wind Rider sat motionless, her head held high, her optic sensors staring straight ahead. The judge turned to the line of delegates in surprise. "Pretty quick," Ultra Magnus heard him mutter under his breath. Wind Rider obviously heard his remark, for she turned her head elegantly to the side, to face the jurors, but half way in her turn, decided against it, and turned her head back to facing forward. "Have you come to a decision?" the judge asked. 

Frederick Witts stood up and cleared his throat. "Yes," he said weakly. "We find the defendant innocent of murder, but the Intergalactic Council of Planets finds her guilty of gross neglect. Because of that neglect, my wife was killed. As punishment, the Intergalactic Council of Planets is disbanding the Delegation of Charr."  
There was suddenly an uproar of talk as the delegates present uttered their shock. Ultra Magnus wasn't surprised, nothing like this had ever happened before. But then again, a prominent member of the ICP had never been assassinated by another prominent member. Wind Rider still faced forward, and still held her head high above her shoulders, despite the fact that her career as a diplomat had just ended. The Council did not quiet down as the judge asked, "Do you understand this, Wind Rider?"

"Yes," she answered over the roar of the Hall.

"You are free to go," said the judge. "May God watch over you always Wind Rider."

She stood up and flung her cape over her shoulders. She stepped down from the platform and walked down the center isle, toward the large door. The uproar in the Council Hall heightened as she walked by, an amazement was underlying the buzz that made Ultra Magnus' head spin. He honestly felt sorry for her. He wasn't sure if he could take the mental beating that she was taking. Or if he even would have shown up for the trial. As she reached the door, she turned to Beth Calibri, and said in her clear, deep voice, a resounding, "Thank You." Then, she opened the door, and walked out, her feet clinking softly on the tile of the floor. She turned, and closed the great portal after her. Then, she was gone.

***

"He was just angry," Beth assured Ultra Magnus, after the trial ended and each of the delegates had returned home. Beth and Rob sat on the porch swing in their front yard, and Ultra Magnus sat on their lawn. Beth had long since given up the hope of planting flowers, as all her front lawn plant-life was periodically crushed by the size of her house callers.

"I really had no idea, Beth" he began.

"We know," Robert told him, "Rick knows too. He just needs time to adjust. He'll come around."

"But, in the Council Hall"

"Remember, Magnus," Robert interrupted him again, "that was where his wife died. He was mad at you to begin with, but then having that constant reminder. He just needs time to calm down. You shouldn't worry. This is a natural cycle in the grieving process."

As Ultra Magnus said, "I hope so," a teal Ford Taurus came up the driveway. The white-mop haired Rick Witts stepped out, his hands filled with folders. Papers were stuffed into them—it was obvious no care for organization had gone into it. He walked up the driveway, ignoring Ultra Magnus completely.

"Rob," he smiled, "would you and Beth take these off my hands a while?" He stopped and took a deep breath before continuing. "They remind me too much of Kate right now. I can't concentrate on the ICP…"

"Of course," Robert jumped off the swing and took the papers from him. As he did, a small, cloth bound book fee from among the many documents, onto the ground. "What's this?" Robert asked.

Rick bent down and picked the book up. "It's a diary," he said softly. "It was Kate's." He then turned to Ultra Magnus, a seething hatred in his eyes. "It explains everything!" He threw the book at the large Autobot in rage. As it bounced off his leg onto the grass in front of him, Rick ran to his car, jumped in, and sped off. Ultra Magnus turned back to Beth and Robert, each of them looking at the other two with bewilderment.

***

Beth Calibri looked at the mess of papers that littered her antique oak wood table. As she called to her husband, she felt a great wave of helplessness and tried hard to hold back her tears.

Robert came out of the kitchen to the dining room asking, "What's the matter, honey?" 

Beth motioned vaguely at all the papers in front of her, "How did Rick and Kate do this?"

Rob sat next to her and absently thumbed through one of the many stacks. "First," he said, good-naturedly, "it was Rick and Kate, not just a lone Beth. Second, they probably used a computer."

Beth shook her head, saying, "This is it Kate never used a computer, not even to write with. She never liked them." Rob looked sympathetically at his wife, them back at the paper-covered table. "There are entire sections missing," Beth went on, "I can't find entire sections! I can't even find the damn constitution—Kate's not like this, Rick is, but Kate keeps him organized."

"Sweetheart, Kate's dead," Rob said gently.

"Why is he being like this!?" she exploded, as if she had not heard him. "Why—he can't even do his own job? Why is he acting like the end of the world has come?"

"Beth," Rob managed to get in, "calm down."

"NO!" she screamed. "I won't calm down! Ricky must have half this shit committed to memory—there—are—entire—sections—missing! Why is he acting like this?"

"Sweetheart, his wife died last month, you have to give him time to get back on his feet."

"What about us?" she retorted, "don't we get time" she stopped suddenly, and began to cry. Robert put his hands around her as she muttered, "She was the youngest, Rob, and she was the second of us to die."

"Richard was the eldest," Robert offered, "and he died first. Kate's was just an unfortunate accident."

"She's gone, I can't believe it, Robert…" Her husband let her cry a while, before she pulled herself away from him and wiped her nose on her hand. "I'm o.k. now," she muttered, massaging her right shoulder. "I had better finish these…"

"Are you sure you're O.K.? Why don't you wait for me to finish, and I'll help you."

She shook her head, her gray streaked curls bouncing against her face. "No," she said, rolling her shoulders back, "the stuff that's missing, "I'll just get it from Rick tomorrow. I just wish he wasn't acting like this."

"O.k. then," he replied, unconvinced. "I'm going to fix the faucet in the kitchen, then I'll come and help you out, all right?"

Beth nodded, as her husband kissed her then went through the kitchen to the garage. Beth took a deep breath, and looked at the piles of papers. "You had better get back on your feet soon, Rick Witts," she said to herself, as she reached over the table to get at a stack of papers. No sooner had she reached out her hand, pain flew through her chest, down her arm all the way to her fingertips. At first she thought she had hit her funny bone, but realized differently when she fell to the floor. She glanced at the ceiling above her, not quite sure of what had just happened. She couldn't move, she couldn't get up, and she couldn't think. All she could do was stare at the ceiling, and clutch at the pain in her breast.

"Sweetheart!" she heard Rob call from somewhere very far away. "Babe, have you seen my wrench set you got me last Christmas?" Beth tried to answer him, but all that came out was a sigh. She attempted to get her breath back, but was having trouble breathing in, like she was underwater, and her chest **hurt**. "Beth, baby," Robert came from the kitchen, to find his wife on her back on the floor, her bright blue eyes staring wildly at the ceiling.

***

Ultra Magnus stood over the graves, his mind whirling in his head_. People are_ _dropping like flies_, he thought desperately. Though it had been four and a half weeks since the graves were lain, this was Ultra Magnus' first visit to them. 

The small marble gravestones were shaped like two intertwined hearts, each proclaiming it's treasure in large bold engravings: Beth Rachel Adire Calibri 1972-2047, died of a heart attack and Robert Matthew Calibri, 1972-2047 died of a broken heart.

Beth's death had not been that great a shock, actually. She had been having problems with her heart for years. _At least it was a quick death_, Ultra Magnus said to himself, _unlike her husband_.

Robert had cried his eyes out when the ambulance arrived at their house, only to proclaim Beth dead at the scene. He hadn't eaten anything, he wouldn't drink, wouldn't sleep. It had shocked the Hell out of Ultra Magnus when he received the missive from the hospital two weeks after Beth's death. "He pined away," it said, "He had nothing else to live for."

_He had the ICP to live for_, Ultra Magnus brooded, but he couldn't be angry, not really. He was angry with Rick, _why is he acting so childish?_ Ultra Magnus couldn't understand it. His wife's dream was falling apart, and he was doing nothing to save it. He was sitting in his house in upper-state New York, letting the world revolve, as long as it left him alone. He would not help to do anything to save the organization that his wife had labored so hard to build. Because he loved her?! _I loved her too…_ It wasn't the same thing though, Ultra Magnus knew. But, he wanted it to be, he wanted it to be more than anything in the world sometimes. And sometimes it sure felt like it was. And Frederick was not helping that matter any. The Earthen delegation was in shambles. With the delegation of Earth non-functional, the ICP was non-functional. Ultra Magnus had never known how much Earth did for the ICP until it didn't anymore. The week before, an emergency meeting was called to vote for a new Earthen Prime Delegate. Only a quarter of Earth showed up, along with three other delegations. _Only three_ _delegations showed,_ Ultra Magnus wanted to scream, _for an emergency meeting. And_ _Rick doesn't even show to defend his position!_ His excuse: because Ultra Magnus had been there. That was when Ultra Magnus decided to visit the cemetery. The resting place of the last two sensible people in the organization, it seemed. "God damn you Ricky!" he cried, flipping around, away from the graves.

"Hey, big guy!" came a voice from below him. For a moment, Ultra Magnus thought his legs would collapse from underneath him, _Kate_, his mind whispered in horror. But upon looking down, he saw Trigger, and Kathryn Bradford's husband. "Calm down," the micromaster advised.

Ultra Magnus regarded him a moment, unlikely advise coming from this rough-and-tumble Autobot. The two had never gotten along, their way of dealing with things were too radically different. When Ultra Magnus finally realized he was looking up at him expectantly, he said, "I'm sorry," though it lacked feeling, "I didn't know anyone was here."

"I just got here," Trigger informed him, "I came to –think."

"Think?" Ultra Magnus echoed sarcastically.

"Yeah," Trigger answered, to Ultra Magnus' surprise, not catching his sarcasm. "Since Kate died, I been thinkin'." He was silent for a moment, as if he was wondering if he should continue. "I been thinkin' about Kit—dying'-n-all."

"Kit?" Ultra Magnus asked. Tigger's dilemma had never crossed his mind.

"Yeah," Trigger said. "I mean, I see what Rick is doin' and I get scared that maybe—I'd end up like that." 

"No, Trigger," Ultra Magnus assured him, a surge of sympathy running through him, "Ricky is jealous, that's why he's acting this way."

"Jealous of what?" Trigger asked with a dubious laugh.

There was a moment of quiet before Ultra Magnus answered. "Of everything."

"Of the ICP?"

Ultra Magnus laughed bitterly, "Sort of."

There was another moment of silence, each Autobot lost in his own thoughts. "I know how much Kate wanted the ICP," Trigger said suddenly, "I don't like to think that I would abandon Kit's dreams when she died." The micromaster shook his head before turning around and walking away.

_Kate's dream_, the words rang around in his head bringing back a barrage of memories he thought long buried.

***

"Do you promise you won't laugh if I tell you?" she said to Ultra Magnus, her eyes dancing in delight. 

Ultra Magnus laughed at her childish joyfulness. "I promise," he said. "What do you want me to do?" 

She inspected him for a moment, seeing if she could actually trust his promise or not. Just when Ultra Magnus thought she was going to reconsider telling him again, she exclaimed, "I want you to make a United Nations, except with the other planets, the one's you're always talking to." Ultra Magnus chuckled at the absurd innocence of the request.

"You promised not to laugh!" she cried.

"I'm not laughing," he giggled, "it's just that something like that can't be done, Kate."

"Yes it can!" she hailed exuberantly, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "If you work hard and got organized." Kate regarded him a moment, her murky blue eyes glinting adoringly from her twenty year old face. "I bet you could do it."

Ultra Magnus smiled.

Ultra Magnus couldn't believe he was doing it, or even considering it. The Autobots were just now getting over one of the most tremendous battles in their history, and having to get used to a new leader. Metroplex's repairs weren't even complete yet, Megatron's last stand having totaled the city. Cybertron had just been reclaimed and the "new golden age" was beginning. But, here he was, checking the lounges and looking for Kate so she could look over his proposal. She would be so proud!

Turning the corner, he heard the voice of her new husband, carrying down the hallway. "And what would you call it, my dear?"

"I would call it" Kate stopped to consider it, "the Interstellar Council of Planets."

There was an interlude of laughing from the people present in the lounge. "That's a funny name," Robert Calibri commented. "Why not something like the United Planets?"

"No," Kate answered indignantly, "I don't like that."

"People can't come from stars, Kate," Beth lectured, "what about something with planets, since people come from planets."

"I'm sure there are star-people somewhere in the universe," Kate projectured. Again, there was a background of laughs.

"Do you know of any star-people?" Beth asked, attempting to get her point across.

"You all are ruining my little fantasy." Kate scolded.

"How about Interplanetary Council of Planets?"

"There are too many 'planets' in it," Rob put in his two cent worth. "Folks will think that you are uncreative."

"Do you think I'm uncreative?" Kate retorted.

"I am not 'folk'," was Rob's answer. "I know you."

Kate sighed, and rolled her eyes back, thinking of another name. "What about," Beth suggested, "the Intergalactic Council of Planets?" The congregation of loungers nodded. "People come from galaxies, and there would be more than one galaxy, so that would explain the 'inter'."

"I like it!" Kate cried. "The Intergalactic Council of Planets it is!"

"That name is better," Rick said, "we'll let you get away with it."

"Guys," the room turned their heads to Ultra Magnus as he entered the room, "I have something for you to see."

"That's it?" Kate asked, "and it's done?"

"That's all ma'am," the young officer told her, "and then you can start chartering. Just need you signature."

She took the pen in her tiny fingers, about to sign the document in front of her. "Oh Ultra Magnus," she looked at the leader of the Autobots, "I can't believe it! The Intergalactic Council of Planets! You did it!"

"No," Ultra Magnus said humbly, you did it, but not until you sign."

Kate glanced down at the table. She put the pen to the paper making the document official.

The little room was filled to the brim with only seven people, making the amount present seem much more than that. The blue prints to a large building rested on the table. "You understand," the architect was saying, "that a station of this size would cost o tremendous amount of money."

"Money isn't the issue," Robert Calibri interjected. "We didn't come here to discuss money. We came here to discuss the repercussions of this space station to Earth."

"The repercussions to the planet, alone, would be minimal. It's the moon"

"The ICP needs this space station!" Kate interrupted, bringing back memories of the one and, so far, only meeting. It was held in Belgium, and had sent the city of Heldfastt into bankruptcy. The country's government decided it could not have all it's cities going bankrupt because of this new peace organization, and so offered to build the ICP a permanent meeting site. Ultra Magnus had suggested a space station.

"Mrs. Witts," the architect said gently, "I understand. But, the gravitational pull of the station, in conjunction with the pull of the moon on Earth, as well as that of the moon on the station, on a satellite this size could cause other satellites to loose their course around the Earth's, and moon's orbit."

Kate stared at him like a dumb animal. "Excuse me?" her voiced cracked.

The architect sighed, as if he was annoyed at being forced to talk to someone he considered below him. Kate picking up his ill humor, pushed her chair out from her and mumbled, "Excuse me," again before running out of the room. Rick got up and followed her, wiping tears she had left on the table.

After a few moments, Rick came into the room, his face flushed in a combination of anger and embarrassment. "She—uh—doesn't understand what you're saying," he explained in a muffled voice. Smiling apologetically, he said, "She got her doctorate in literature." 

The architect sighed again and resumed stating his objections to the space station.

"No, Ultra Magnus," she said in an annoyed voice. "The choice is mine, I'm not cut out to be a diplomat… it's not what I thought it would be, no at all."

"But Kate," he protested, "you are good at it, the people listen to you. You have so many good ideas on how to deal with stuff"

"Only to you sweetie," she cut him off. "I'm no better at this than anyone else. In fact, I'm worse." Seeing that Ultra Magnus was about to object again, she continued.

"Ricky and I have talked it over. We think this is best. If I go back to teaching, I'll have more time to spend with my children and I'll be in my element. I understand how to teach a child how to read. I don't understand political conflicts."

"Do you think it's best?" Ultra Magnus asked.

She regarded him with that adoring gaze, mixed with a strange understanding. Ultra Magnus had come to love that look more than anything else in the world. "I do," she answered him. "You say that this was my dream," she vaguely waved her hand in the air, "then I am content knowing that others are happy living it."

***

The sound of voices brought Ultra Magnus from the slide show going on in his head. A family was coming from the parking lot, here to see a loved one who had just passed on. The Autobot could see Trigger transforming, into his TransAm and driving off. Ultra Magnus turned and took one last look at the gravestones—shaped like two intertwined hearts. _Something died with you, Robert_, Ultra Magnus addressed his friend silently, _you were the last of a legacy. _He turned, waving to the mourning family at another grave, and followed Trigger from the cemetery.

Upon returning to his quarters, Ultra Magnus found he was at a complete loss. He had no idea what to do, about Rick, about anything. _Nothing_, he said to himself, _it isn't_ _my problem_. Glancing around, his optics caught on a glittering object. Kate's wedding and engagement rings sat on a shelf, enclosed in a glass casing, the sun glinting off the diamond. The only thing he had to remember her by, and his heart wrenched_. It was her_ _dream_, Ultra Magnus told himself, and now it's dying_. One of the delegations is_ _disbanded and everyone else just decides not to show up._ He laughed bitterly, twirling around his optics caught hold of something else. No, the engagement and wedding rings were not his only keepsakes. A small black cloth bound book lay on another shelf. The flowers, a mimic of some Victorian painting somewhere, were faded almost to the point of non-recognition. Ultra Magnus knew that that book held answers—answers to questions he had asked, answers to Ricky's anger, answers to everything, maybe. He hadn't read it yet, he hadn't had the guts. _Afraid of what you might find?_ His conscious asked. _Yes, _was his reflexive reply, _afraid of the answers. What if the answers bring_ _more questions?_ Then another thought occurred to him_, what if it isn't what you want to_ _know? _

He had told himself he hadn't read it, because it wasn't right to read someone's thoughts, whether they are dead or not. It seemed like an invasion of privacy, knowing what someone thought. He didn't even know when the diary was written, it was a well known fact that Kate kept diaries all of her life. He stood, staring at the little book for a long time. Finally, his curiosity overcame his fear and conscious, and he lifted the book in-between two fingers and sat down. He let the pages ruffle, not wanting to catch any of the words. But the book fell to a certain page, about a quarter of the way through the book. The pages, which had been parchment colored originally, were now a sickened yellow, like the color of skin on a long dead man. The pen had run a little, because of age, but it was still legible. The date read March 18th, 1995.

_That was the day after she arrived for her second visit to me_, Ultra Magnus remembered. This visit had nothing to do with contests or writing. Ultra Magnus had enjoyed her company very much, and asked her to come back. He had been surprised when she had come, knowing it took her four days to get there, by bus and she did not like to travel by automotive. It had been a pleasant visit, if he recalled correctly, nothing phenomenal had happened. He had just enjoyed her company. Her innocence was a pleasant change from the battle wary Autobots. He stared at the date, not daring to read anything else. _You have to_, something inside him said, _Ricky knows something you_ _don't._ _Something important._ He didn't want to know, yes, he admitted to himself, he was afraid. His optics tore away from the date, and he began reading:

Dear Diary,

I've been here a whole day, it seems like longer. I'm glad I was able to make it, even if it takes so long to get here. They should move this city closer to Princeton, it would be so much more convenient. Especially since the city can move (have you ever dreamt of such a thing!) But Ultra Magnus has too much to worry about, for me to bother him with complaining.

You know, diary, it's so weird with Ultra Magnus. I feel like I've known him all my life, even though it's only been two months. He was good yesterday, when the bus was late. He didn't have a word of complaint, and he still had a smile on his face! He tries to be gruff, but it doesn't work very well. He can be mean, though, I saw him yell at someone the last time I was here. But, he's sweet to me, and I think he's great.

If I could choose someone personality-wise, to be with, I would choose Ultra Magnus. He's the perfect knight-in-shining-armor. Isn't that strange, diary, he's another race, like an alien! He's a robot! I wonder if you can find your soul mate in another race like that. I thought that I had been in love before, but this feels different. Can you be in love with someone, if you've only known them for two months? I think I am diary. Isn't that funny, I'm in love with a Transformer!

Ultra Magnus tore his optics away from the diary and dropped it. A wave of pain swept over him, as if he had been shot by a laser. He wasn't sure he had read the passage properly, and had to look it over again. He wasn't sure where the pain in him started, or what caused it, all he knew was that he wanted Kate alive. And he wanted her here. His Kate, she loved him, was gone—he realized he loved her too. His Kate—

_No_, he looked at the date. March 18, 1995. Suddenly he saw why Ricky was so upset. _He must have read this passage_, Ultra Magnus reasoned_, but she was only 19_ _years old. She hadn't met Ricky yet!_ His head whirled with a million different thoughts, tugging him in a million different directions. His head whirled and the pain in him deepened, he didn't know why. _There's been a misunderstanding_, he said over and over in his mind. _There has been a misunderstanding._

He tore out of the building and transformed, heading for the main part of the city. _Please be there,_ he prayed. _Please be there_. 

Ultra Magnus transformed into this robot mode, running headlong into edifice where he hoped Frederick would be. Racing down hallways, and glancing into rooms, he found no trace of the delegate to be found, he slowly made his way out of the building. As he came to the main foyer he saw Ricky, putting on his overcoat, about to leave. But the old man was not happy to see him. "We need to talk, Rick," Ultra Magnus forced his voice to remain calm.

"We have nothing to talk about," Rick answered, turning away from him.

"We do," Ultra Magnus pleaded, "Kate's diary"

Rick flipped around, his gaze as fiery as the Sun, "I know about Kate's diary, Ultra Magnus."

"But it's wrong!"

"How can it be wrong!?" Ricky shouted, "it's her private thoughts, her fantasies, no one was ever going to read it!"

"That's all it is," Ultra Magnus said in a low voice, "a fantasy." But the Autobot's heart screamed at him, _that isn't so!!_

"NO!" the old man cried hysterically, his white hair jouncing around his face. "It wasn't, you stole my wife away!!"

"Rick," Ultra Magnus tried to reason, "she hadn't even met you yet, when those things were written.."

"But she'd met you!" Rick cut him off. Hot tears welled in his eyes, but he didn't dare let them fall.

"But that doesn't matter," Ultra Magnus replied half-heartedly, "That was written years ago…" he didn't know what else to say.

"Katy once told me," Rick said, his eyes gazing directly into Ultra Magnus' optics, "that when she loved someone, she never stopped loving them. She love you once…" his voice trailed off as he turned and walked toward the door.

"But I was her friend," Ultra Magnus called quietly.

"No," Rick answered with a deathly calm, "I don't believe you."

Ultra Magnus stood there, and watched as Ricky walked out the door toward his car. His white hair bounced up and down, his head was slightly bowed. _Why?,_ he thought feverishly. But he got no answer, Frederick just kept walking, not once looking back. The Autobot turned, to go back into the interior of the building, when he heard someone calling out his name.

"Ultra Magnus wait," he saw Kathryn Bradford running down the walkway, and burst through the door. Her blonde hair was held up in a french braid, her traditional hairstyle. She stopped when she reached him, looking behind her at Ricky driving away. "He's still mad at you," she sighed.

"I know Kitty," he replied irritably.

"We have bigger problems, though," she changed her gaze from Rick to Magnus. "I held a trial, or tried to, but no one showed up." Ultra Magnus stared at her blankly. "The judge didn't even show up." Ultra Magnus could not believe he was hearing this. Kitty was an attorney with the ICP, when something came up in the rank of the Intergalactic Council of Planets, the ICP took care of it, rather than having the individual charters do so. The jury consisted of members of different delegations, and one of the delegation of the defendant. Ultra Magnus knew which trial Kit was talking about, it had been planned for months.

"No one showed up?" he asked.

"I did, the defendant did, and the prosecuting attorney. That was it, Magnus. No jurors, no judge, no audience, no witnesses, nobody." When the large Autobot did not answer, Kit asked in a small voice, "What do we do?"

There was a long moment of silence, Ultra Magnus still stared at where Rick had been walking. "We call for an ICP meeting."

Ultra Magnus had seen a lot of things in his life, but he never dreamed he would see this. The huge Council Hall lay empty. The few delegates that had come, were now filtering out, deciding that they had waited too long. The Autobot delegation had showed, half the Earthen delegation and the entire Lorntrada delegation—who had been faithful to the ICP ever since it's charter.

Ultra Magnus sat down, and shook his head. He probably would have stayed that way, if he had not heard a small voice, "Monsieur Ultra Magnus." He looked up to a small man, his black hair cropped close to his head a strong contrast to the paleness of his freckled skin. Magnus recognized him as the Prime Delegate of Belgium. "Monsieur Ultra Magnus," he repeated, "this is the second meeting that has been ignored."

"I know," Ultra Magnus said lamely.

"Monsieur," he continued in his French accent, a note of compassion in his voice. "Belgium is reclaiming the space station. It is apparent that the Intergalactic Council of Planets is dead."

Ultra Magnus had nothing to say to the man. He couldn't stop him, the station legally belonged to the Belgium. He couldn't argue with him, he was right. He couldn't blame him, he understood. He couldn't look at him, either. He didn't have the strength. He felt as if the world were falling down around him.

As if sensing the despair of the Autobot, he mutter, "I am sorry."

Ultra Magnus laughed. "So am I."

***

It hadn't taken long for the station to be cleared out. Everyone got what belonged to them, and left; never to be heard from again, as far as Ultra Magnus knew. It enraged him that no one had fought for it, no one tried to save it. The rage ended when he came back to reality, and saw that, perhaps, it wasn't meant to be. The Belgium government was going to bring the station into orbit around Saturn, a gift to the Earth Defense Command. So, anything with the ICP emblem on it had to go.

Ultra Magnus had come for one last look, before it was all gone. He had hoped to make up with Ricky, but part of him knew it was hopeless. Yet, he wasn't despairing. He knew now that he shared a type of bond that very few of his kind could claim. A bond that even death could not break. _I loved her too_, he called to Rick silently, though he had long left the station. He agreed with Frederick Witts on one thing—he, too, was glad Kate was not here to see her dream falling apart. Ultra Magnus sighed.

So, he sat outside the Council Hall, in the Corridor of Councilmen, his optics glued sadly to the face of the bust of Katherine Louise Lybeth Edmound Witts. And he saw, in those stone renditions of Kate's eyes, the reflection of his love. _That's right_ _Ricky_, Ultra Magnus thought, almost maliciously, _I loved her too.  
_  
  


****


End file.
